Serie A: Napoli Hires A New Manager
Walter Mazzarri, the former Watford coach, said after being fired by Napoli on the eve of their Champions League round of sixteen: “I was hoping to manage against Barcelona with Victor Osimhen on the pitch.”
The striker from Nigeria is scheduled to make his comeback on Wednesday night at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona against the Catalan giants. But Osimhen, who is valued at £110 million, is also expected to depart Napoli soon; the only question is whether he will join Saudi Arabia, PSG, or the Premier League. Though the French champions want a big-name player to replace Kylian Mbappe, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United have all been linked to him.
However, the 25-year-old sensation, who defeated Mo Salah to win the African Player of the Year award, will never stop making waves both on and off the field.
The center forward helped Napoli win their first Scudetto since 1990 by scoring 31 goals in 39 games during the previous campaign.
Osimhen became the first player from Africa to finish as the top scorer in Serie A. He still sports his signature protective mask after breaking his eye socket in November 2021.
He declined a huge offer to stay in Naples rather than move to Saudi Arabia, but head coach Luciano Spalletti departed last summer along with center back Kim Min-Jae of South Korea, who joined Bayern Munich.
“I had never thought about leaving but when the offer from Saudi Arabia came, it was difficult to refuse,” he said in an interview with John Mikel Obi.
“Every time I said no, they increased the offer again and again. It was truly a sensational sum that would have changed my life, but in the end I told them: 'No guys, I'm staying where I am'.”
Osimhen, 25, clarified that his goal was to participate in the Premier League. “I don't have a favourite team, but I have two shirts: Chelsea and Manchester United,” he joked. “The Premier League is the league most appreciated and followed by every African footballer.”
The Nigerian's departure for the winter even appeared plausible when he removed images of himself wearing Napoli gear from social media in September. This was after the team's Tik Tok account shared a video of the striker being mocked after he missed a penalty against Bologna and got into an argument with Rudi Garcia after being substituted. Even threatening to sue Napoli was his agent.
After months of negotiations, Osimhen agreed to a one-year contract extension with Napoli on December 23, extending his agreement through the summer of 2026, doubling his salary to £8.6 million per season, and adding a buyout clause worth £110 million. After being sent off against Roma on that particular day, he has not appeared on the field for Napoli again. The defending champions won just two of their seven league games, which led to Mazzarri's dismissal and the appointment of Francesco Calzona as interim manager until the end of the campaign.
When the Nigerian took down pictures of himself on social media in September while sporting Napoli gear, it even looked possible that he was heading south for the winter. This came about after a video of the striker being made fun of on the team's Tik Tok account showed him missing a penalty against Bologna and fighting with Rudi Garcia after coming off the bench. His agent had gone so far as to threaten to sue Napoli.
Prior to Nigeria's trip to the African Cup of Nations championship match last month. Using social media, Osimhen denounced the agent of a Napoli teammate, calling him a “piece of filth and a disgrace for claiming he will still go to Saudi Arabia.”
“Osimhen signed a new contract, but do you really think he will spend his entire career at Napoli?” Mamuka Jugeli, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's agent, asked Georgian media, “He will play in the Saudi Pro League the following summer, I can already confirm.”
“I think 60 percent of everyone are arguing, or the rumor is going around about me linked the Premier League,” Osimhen stated in an unannounced interview with CBS last month, “I think I made up my mind by the end of the season. I have always made my own decisions and have known what I want to do with my career from the beginning.”
Napoli's season has not gone well; the team is currently in ninth place. According to Corriere della Sera, the dressing room is not happy with Osimhen's lenient treatment because of his tantrums, lack of fitness, and tardiness in returning from the African Cup of Nations. Mazzarri's demise was confirmed by the 1-1 home draw with Genoa on Sunday, when he was too exhausted to play.
The Partenopei have already started shopping for a replacement, with Santiago Gimenez of Feyenoord, Joshua Zirkzee of Bologna, Jonathan David of Lille, and Victor Boniface of Bayer Leverkusen on the list.
The Champions League on Wednesday night presents Osimhen with another prominent opportunity to showcase his skills.
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